Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Minister's last statement that this is a time of high anxiety for everybody. I would go further and say the anger in the air is palpable. One can hear it on the radio, on the airwaves, and in all the communication that is happening. One can feel it in the Chamber at the minute. It is the Government's responsibility now to attempt to de-escalate that and some of the commentary has not been helpful.

I particularly want to take issue with this idea that one must pick a side. I was disappointed when the Minister said she has chosen to pick a side and is on the side of those whose children are most vulnerable. In that binary, the Minister has given the impression there are those of us who are not on their side and, in particular, the side of those who are asking to be safe upon their return to the workplace. I am referring, in particular, to our SNA community. I assure the Minister that absolutely everybody, and I include her and the Government, the Opposition and all stakeholders, want to ensure the safe return for children with special education needs into our education sector. We need to find a way of doing that collaboratively. I have been angry because of the vilification of people in our education sector who I know devote every hour of their professional lives to ensuring those in their charge are provided with the absolute best care. The commentary that has emerged over the last week has suggested otherwise and I believe we need to confront that.

To me, those in the SNA community are the absolute champions of our education sector. They are, and have continuously, been undervalued for so long. The starting salary for an SNA is just over €24,000. They provide close care to those with special education needs and do it as a vocation. They are the first port of call in the morning where the child will receive a smile. The job is immensely tough and the remuneration is not nearly commensurate with the responsibility, and still they go to school every day with a smile. They are not the enemy here; far from it. It was the SNA community who stood up during the first lockdown and were redeployed to the HSE so they could provide care for children with special education needs. They were the ones who were not given adequate PPE until very recently. They had to call for appropriate face masks so they could provide that care in a way that would keep them and their families safe. All they are asking is that they can be safe and listened to.

I firmly believe we need to de-escalate tensions now. I fully accept my own responsibility in terms of some of my engagements and casting blame, and even being vocal in how disappointed I was with some of the behaviour and communications that have emanated from the Minister's Department. However, now is the time for de-escalation and to get around the table and listen. That is absolutely essential. In all the communications we have had, there has been an absence of empathy and a willingness to listen.

The Minister talks about the presentations that happened with over 16,000 educators. That was a presentation. The Minister also talks about her engagements with the stakeholders. That consisted of Zoom calls in which the Department basically gave out a rant for about 50 minutes and had four or five minutes for questions. We need to listen. When one listens, one hears of genuine fear.

Parents and guardians have a responsibility to their children, trade unions have a responsibility to their workers and workers have a responsibility to their families. The Minister represents the State and she has a responsibility to all citizens. In her engagement, it is imperative that she listens. When we listen, we will hear of fear, anxiety and of a genuine willingness to be collaborative, to go back into the workplace and to provide care for those for whom these workers have always cared.

We need to listen, first and foremost. When we listen, we can find a pathway to solutions. That has to be the essence of what we do here because at the moment it is too hostile. When we are angry, we make mistakes. We make mistakes in our rhetoric, as demonstrated by the Minister of State over the last week, and we make mistakes in enflaming tensions, as we have done since Christmas. We also make mistakes that will impact the lives, livelihoods and experiences of those about whom we all care; namely, children who are at risk of regression. Let us de-escalate the tensions, therefore.

There are those we need to consider most in our engagements. We want these children to return to school. In the brief period I have left, I want to acknowledge another cohort who have been crying out to be listened to - the leaving certificate students. Yesterday, the Irish Second-Level Students' Union carried out a survey of its members and 81% of them agreed that they should not do the traditional leaving certificate because they simply cannot do so. They have not had the traditional leaving certificate experience so they should not sit the traditional leaving certificate exam. That decision has to be made quickly because it leads to immense anxiety for young people who simply cannot deal with that at the minute. It is impacting on their mental health. If we approach it with empathy we would decide to cancel the leaving certificate now and come up with a workable solution.

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